In the early years of the 21st century Chery is a rapidly growing company. Chery shows SUV, MPV, sedan, van, so many concepts of different models. Including a larger sedan, via Italy a picture comes to China and arrives at my desk. It is the Chery F11 concept, a slim car design done by Pininfarina.
The photo has been taken at the roof of the Pininfarina design studios, and somehow it escaped the secrecy. The car has a fancy German license plate and an unknown logo. There is nothing known about engine, details etc. I don’t even know if it has an engine, or that you can ride it.
When I go to the November 2006 Beijing Auto Show I decide to do something special: I ask my copyshop to print the F11 photo on a t-shirt. And I put on this t-shirt at the pressday of the Auto Show.
Visiting my friends at the FAW booth, it is mr. Zhang, the FAW press chief, who asks me to come to a private room of the VIP launch. I already showed mr. Zhang my shirt.
Surprisingly I meet mr. Yin Tongyao (he is Chery’s big boss). When I have a pleasant talk, it is mr. Zhang who tells me: “Laofan, you have to show mr. Yin your t-shirt!” (Laofan is my Chinese ‘nom de guerre’).
I feel a bit embarrassed, but to the surprise of mr. Yin I open my fleece:
Where do you get that picture, Yin asks, surprised. That’s a secret, I tell him. You can understand that is fun!
And what about the F11? Well after two interior photos showing an extremely rich inside, nothing was ever heard of the car!
More stories? More unknown cars? Please send us! And of course your comments!
I remember this one popping up on a news feed at the time. It wouldn’t have worked because Chery weren’t ready then for a design like that and the expectations that come with such a design. It would have been very ambitious in a time of Seat and Daewoo knock-offs. The Riich G5 & G6 models were better stepping-stones and, I always thought, underrated designs.
Paul I agree that the G5 and G6 were very nice cars. It was strange that they were not selling well.
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